CABANE DES EVADÉS – LE BRAME DU CERF

About

Welcome to our home, nestled at the Col de Portet d’Aspet, just 1½ hours from Toulouse and 1 hour from Spain. Here, we invite you to experience the stag’s rut in a truly immersive way, right in the heart of the mountains.

Situated at the Portet-d’Aspet Pass, at the south-eastern edge of the Comminges Barousse Pyrénées Regional Nature Park, the lodge offers you the chance to experience this magical and spectacular sight up close through its bed and breakfast accommodation. Every year, from mid-September onwards for a month, the stags take to the meadow just below the house. From dusk until dawn, they let out their powerful bellowing to intimidate their rivals and attract the does. As true enthusiasts, we’ll be delighted to share our first-hand experience with you and reveal the secrets of observing these magnificent deer.

Our terrace overlooking the area offers a prime vantage point for this ‘rutting ground’. Make yourself comfortable and stay discreetly hidden behind a camouflage net to listen to them and catch a glimpse of them. We’ll be by your side to guide you and provide live commentary on the action via our infrared camera. The spectacle is breathtaking: for the past two years, a magnificent 12-point stag has reigned here as master over his herd of 15 does.

As for your accommodation, the house comprises a historic former sheepfold, dating from 1866, with its slate floor and large fireplace. It is connected to a section that has been rebuilt in the style of a mountain chalet. We’ll share the kitchen with you, which is situated on the ground floor of the original part of the house. It is fully equipped: a pyrolytic oven, a large fridge-freezer, a dishwasher, a microwave, and everything you need for mountain evenings (fondue and raclette sets, a cast-iron casserole, a plancha and a BBQ). Food processors, as well as standard and Nespresso coffee machines, are also available. You’ll be able to prepare your breakfasts and other meals during your stay. There are also plenty of restaurants nearby. We’ll be staying on the floor above the kitchen.

You’ll have the entire chalet section to yourselves, which has its own entrance door. The living area is laid out over two split levels, featuring a central stove, a dining area with a large table, and a cosy lounge equipped with a smart TV and two sofas (one of which is a sofa bed). Above this room are two mezzanine bedrooms with blackout blinds, each featuring a 140-cm bed and storage units. For new parents, there is a cot and all the necessary equipment. Your beds will be made up with care. Linen, bed sheets and towels are included. You’ll have access to a bathroom fitted with a washing machine and a separate toilet.

The house is connected to fibre broadband (high-speed Wi-Fi), ideal for working from home or streaming. Access by car is via a 200-metre private track from the summit of the Col de Portet-d’Aspet. Whilst you wait for our evening talks, where we’ll explain the behaviour of deer using photos and films, we can also offer you a range of other activities. From the house, you can go hiking to Le Puech, the Col des Passagers, the Pic de Paloumère, the Crête de Cornudère, the Cabane du Piéjau, the Pic de la Calabasse, and so on. We provide Mölkky, pétanque and board games, as well as reading material and IGN maps. Nearby: Ariège side: the charming village of Portet-d’Aspet, then the Couserans, Saint-Lary, the Allée de la Bellongue, Castillon, Lake Bethmale, Saint-Girons, Saint-Dizier… Haute-Garonne side: the Comminges region, the Col de Menté, the Pic de Cagire, the Spanish border, the Col des Ares, Aspet, Saint-Gaudens, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges.